7 Reasons Why Fearful Avoidants Do No Contact

Of all attachment styles, fearful avoidants are the most likely to do no contact following a break-up. In this article I will discuss the top 7 reasons why fearful avoidants do no contact.

Are there good reasons (and situations) where no contact is healthy? Yes.

For example: to heal from the break up, space to reflect on one’s shortcomings and do some changing and growing. And sometimes one just wants to “forget everything” and move on with their life.

But not everybody understands that “no contact” as a strategy for attracting back an ex is more than anything attachment avoidance coping.

Avoidance coping—also known as avoidant coping, avoidance behaviors, and escape coping—is a maladaptive form of coping in which a person changes their behavior to avoid thinking about, feeling, or doing difficult things (Elizabeth Scott, PhD).

A fearful avoidant attachment style

A fearful avoidant attachment style is when someone is afraid of being too close but also afraid of being too distant from someone they love and care about. They:

• Want contact but fear being seen as ‘needy’.
• Need emotional connection but fear being smothered or taken advantage of.
• Long for intimacy but fear letting someone down and/or being let down.

When a relationship ends, a fearful avoidant attachment natural instinct is to avoid contact. They see a break-up as a rejection of who they are and don’t know how to stay close to someone who rejects them. But they also don’t know how to stay away from someone they love. Most fearful avoidants go back and forth, no contact then contact and then no contact.

Besides, trying to avoid contact over the years working with men and women, young and old, from all backgrounds, I have identified other reasons why a fearful avoidant naturally gravitates to no contact. Many of these reasons have to do with a fearful avoidant being insecure and having a poor self-image.

These are the top 7 reasons why fearful avoidants do no contact

1. Feeling helpless

“No contact” especially appeals to people who fear that any kind of contact could increase or intensify the problems in the relationship. Because fearful avoidants feel helpless to change anything, they choose instead to “hide” and hope that the problems will go away on their own — and when they reappear from “no contact” everything will be fine.

2.  Things ended badly

Most likely the break-up was nasty – things that should have not been said were said, or an ex is angry and hostile. A fearful avoidant thinks that “no contact” is a good way to avoid further “messing things up”. They believe that  no contact will allow any bad feelings to go away. Most are unaware that this very act of “trying not to further mess things up” may actually create new problems.

3. Lack of self-confidence

Someone who is not psychologically prepared to deal with the emotions of trying to attract back their ex may see no contact a way to manage emotions. If you have no plan or strategy to attract back your ex, no contact may seem like a good idea. You don’t have to do anything. All you have to do is try so hard not to contact your ex — and wait for your ex to contact you!

4. Issues with being needy and/or controlling

Fearful avoidants especially those who lean anxious are needy, dependent or feels that they had less “power” and control over what happened in the relationship. “No contact” makes them feel like they’re finally in control of the situation. Because of their past behaviours, they’re so afraid, that any sign of wanting contact may be interpreted as a sign of neediness and weakness and their ex may conclude that they’re still desperately in love. For as long as they are in no contact, they can hide their feelings (and undesired behaviours). It’s an illusion. Once contact is re-established (it eventually has to if one wants to get back his or her ex), the neediness begins all over again.

5. Hesitation/reservations about the relationship

Fearful avoidants are so afraid of rejection that they’re never sure about what they want. They see no contact as buying time to figure out if they want to get back together or not. They may even think there is someone else out there and see no contact as space to date other people. And if they are seeing someone new, they opt for no contact to avoid making a decision one way or the other. They keep you hoping that when you finally re-establish contact, you’ll get back together.

6. Way of dealing with a great loss

For some people no contact is their way of dealing with loss; fearful avoidants included. They may even want their ex back but do no contact to avoid rejection and disappointment when it doesn’t happen. This ties in well with their other avoidance coping behaviours.

7. Send a message

Someone afraid of giving false hope might see no contact as a polite way of gently sending someone off. They’re afraid of how the other person might react and prefer an avoidant way of dealing with the situation.

A short-term solution to a long-term problem

These reasons for doing no contact make a lot of sense and even seem rational. But like all avoidant coping strategies, they are short term solutions to long term problems. They are not the healthiest ways of dealing with relationship problems, resolving relationship conflict or inspiring a loved one to return to a relationship.

Many people I work with after no contact find themselves too scared to reach out to their ex. They lost confidence during no contact. They changed their behaviours (even the good ones) to avoid thinking, feeling, or doing relationship-building things. Now they don’t know what to say or act with their ex.

Attachment avoidance makes it hard for your ex to fully trust you

When we avoid dealing with what makes us uncomfortable, we leave problems unresolved and resentment builds up. Too much time passes, it makes no sense to contact an ex who may or may not have moved on.

Even for people who “get back together” after no contact, the reunion often doesn’t last very long. The “new relationship” falls apart when put to the test. Many so-called “got back together after no contact” relationships are nothing beyond “re-establishing contact” temporarily. Hurray! My ex came back, damn it, it’s over again.

If you find yourself strongly pulled towards ‘no contact’, take a good look at your attachment style. You may find that many of your relationship problems originate from how you see and avoid closeness.

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